Fashion in the 1920s

Following the end of World War I, fashion drastically changed in the 1920s. Designers were favoring expensive fabrics, such as silk and velvet. These products were all produced through improved production methods, and they were affordable by working families. Most people looked more sophisticated with a new sense of luxurious style. Although they were restrained from the war, they still found new ways to look polished and clean. Women wore more geometric forms of clothing, such as form fitting dresses with flowers and expensive hats, beads, and rhinestones as luxuries. As a result, they looked more sophisticated and wealthy. For the first time in centuries, they began wearing brighter dresses, and their legs were seen with hemlines rising to their knees. Also, a more masculine look, flattened breasts and hips, make-up, and short hairstyles became popular. One of the first women who cut her hair and rejected the corset for trousers was Coco Chanel. Her style was influential and she pushed the freedom of women’s fashion. Extremely high-waisted suits and jackets characterized menswear during this time. They wore narrow and short trousers, which made their socks show, and their waistlines were higher than usual. They put handkerchieves or flowers in their breast pockets. The types of hats they wore resembled their class. High class men wore top hats, middle class men wore trilby hats, and lower class men wore flat hats.

            The twist in fashion during the 1920s is presented in The Great Gatsby through the characters’ appearances. When Gatsby was having a party at his house, numerous amounts of ladies came in short, high quality dresses with luxurious jewelry topping it off. People came in Rolls Royces and other luxurious cars, and every one looked wealthy. They all drank as if alcohol was not prohibited and had a boisterous party. All of these factors resemble the lifestyle of a typical person during the 1920s. 

Chimpanzee Memory Beats Human's

On February 16, 2013, in an article titled, “Chimpanzee Memory Study Suggests Apes’ Short Term Recall Better Than Humans” from The Huffington Post, Douglas Main publicized about an interesting observation discovery on chimpanzees. While testing the remarkable abilities of a chimpanzee, researchers found out that they can be smarter than humans, at least regarding short-term memories. During a test, the numbers one through nine appeared randomly on a screen and then disappeared. The chimpanzee was able to recall the exact sequence and location of each number. This chimpanzee has also learnt numbers one through nineteen and is able to touch each number in ascending order. Comparing this amazing ability with that of humans, only a selected few have such abilities, and those are people with savant syndrome. That syndrome is accompanied by severe mental disabilities that allow a person to show unique abilities that are beyond ordinary human powers. However, six out of six chimpanzees tested were able to rapidly complete the challenge. It is important to note that this incredible short-term memory helps chimpanzees survive in the wild, where they make complex decisions regarding their food supply and survival. It helps the animals navigate the branches of huge trees to feed and also to decide what to do when competing animals are threatening to one another. When a Japanese researcher, named Tetsuro Matsuzawa, showed this video to a number of journalists and scientists, he stated, “Don’t worry nobody can do it. It’s impossible for you” (The Huffington Post).

Paranoid Syrian Man

The article titled, “Paranoid Syrian Man Thinks Government is Out to Get Him” was written on January 29,2013 in theOnion.com. With the terrible Civil War that still continues in Syria, numerous amounts of people are psychologically and physically affected. Many have lost their homes, families and are desperately looking for food. There have been many conspiracies about the government’s intentional involvement in the war. A thirty two year old, paranoid Syrian man, named Naji Hamed Yussif, told reporters that he believes that the government is after him and wants to get him. He stated, “I’m telling you, they’re monitoring everything we do, ad their goal is to eliminate anyone and everyone who stands in their way” (the Onion).  He was peeking out of his window when he told reporters his beliefs. He also stated that he believes the government controls the media and is actively working on shutting down any activity done by “the opposition”. The man, who was in complete anxiety said that these people are powerful individuals and that the president is even involved in the process of exterminating the people of Syria. During press time, the man could not be reached for any further details about his beliefs. 

Dissing One Direction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ejgq0r0SEU

In this video, Stephen Colbert satirizes the British music band, One Direction on their title and song lyrics. First, he uses invective by stating, “I don’t want a bunch of snaggletooth…union jackals telling America the number of directions we can go at.” He also wants people to use their common sense and recognize the message behind the band’s song, “What Makes You Beautiful”. He distorts one specific part of the song and uses irony by stating that the part when the band sings, “You don’t know you’re beautiful, that’s what makes you beautiful” is an amazing dating advice because girls with low self-esteem are the most attractive. In reality he means the opposite because girls with low self-esteem are not attractive at all and the majority of men will not want to date a girl like that. He also uses ambiguity because he states, “Guys always go for the low hanging fruit, okay, easy pickings.” This statement has a different meaning. It is a continuation of his irony about the idea of dating. Overall, Stephen Colbert not only insults, but also distorts a specific lyric of one of the band’s songs in order to show its idiocy. He further went on to explain, that they just told the girl she’s beautiful, and so now that she knows it, she is no longer beautiful. He wants to show people the flaws of the band and the complex lyrics that eventually lead to an inadequate and stupid point.